Chapter 20- The USJ Incident: Part 8

The silence seemed almost artificial at first, as if the battle between All Might and the villain had never really ended. Moments turned to seconds, and seconds turned into a full minutes as everyone present held their breath in anticipation of another surprise or attack.

The entire USJ seemed to exhale with relief when it became clear that the villains had left for good, and the various students and heroes that made it to safety finally relaxed, the day's fighting coming to an end at long last.

Those few students that hadn't yet made their way to safety were quickly relieved of their burdens by the resurgent forces of the UA Pro Heroes, who dealt with the remaining villains with impressive speed and efficiency. To my relief, nobody amongst the students had been seriously hurt, and Shoji and I reunited with Tsu and Tokoyami as we all met in the entrance to the USJ. Our two fellow students were bruised and exhausted from fighting the groups of villains, but they were in high spirits nonetheless, and their mood rubbed off on me.

Simple joy filled my mind, the emotion coming from the sheer relief that we had all made it through the day, and this joy followed me for quite a long time after we had left the USJ. My mind only turned to exhaustion when I made it home, confronted by a trio of crying family members, all of them nearly tackling me when I made it through the front door, having been driven home by Police Officers after handing my damaged Hero Costume back to UA. I slept the deepest I had in months, receiving assurances from UA that we had the next two days as well as the following weekend free in light of what had happened. We were even free of assignments and homework, the message from UA urging us to relax and recover, an instruction that I was happy to comply with.

As I lay in bed, moments away from slipping into deep sleep, I pondered the events of the day.

That day, I saw first hand the power and scale of the villains that heroes fought against every day, risking their lives in pursuit of a peace that so many sought to shatter.

The Pros of UA showed their strength and drive in the face of unimaginable odds, and they stood tall even as two of their number were almost brought low by the power of the forces that sought to destroy our very way of life. The strength of the next generation was just as impressive, and I gained a newfound respect for each and every member of my class that stood against our attackers. Bonds were forged between students in the crucible of combat, and some would grow closer than they ever would normally.

But I also saw the power of the darkness that stood against the heroes, a power that seemed to be almost the equal of the heroes, if not in strength than in willpower. Though they had been stopped, the villains had come close to killing All Might that day, and in doing so they would have shattered the world as we knew it.

It was startling to realise just how fragile the peace that we all enjoyed was, and I now knew how quickly the whole world could change in the aftermath of a single event. The mere act of an attack on UA had put a crack in the foundations of the heroic society, and some feared that this attack was merely the harbinger of something much greater, and much darker.

I didn't know what the future held for us, but not matter what was coming, my goal would remain the same.

Become a hero, even if the very society that created heroes fell apart, even if villains cast us into a new dark age, even if the very paragon of our society was struck down by darkness. The world would always need heroes, no matter how good or how bad things got.

No matter what, my goal was the same.

Shota Aizawa stirred slightly from the black haze he had been fading in and out of for the past few days, every fibre of his being still ached intensely, and this pain had been a constant presence the last few times he had awoken as well. He had been enduring hazy awakenings like this for a while, each one inevitably leading back to the darkness of unconsciousness that he welcomed in his injured state, for it would give him reprieve from the agony he had endured.

He dimly recalled being treated by Recovery Girl at least twice, her Quirk unable to heal him to any great degree due to the exhaustion he had suffered, and so his healing was a slow and painful process. He also vaguely remembered several other figures standing over him at various points in time, though their faces and identities were lost to him at this precise moments.

This was usually the time that he drifted back into oblivion again, exhaustion and injury reclaiming him just as he started to get his bearings and recall what had happened. This time was different, instead of feeling the pull of sleep, he instead felt the barest hint of energy shoot through his body, enough to compel him to at least open his eyes. The sight that greeted him was one familiar to most Pro Heroes, the clinical roof of a hospital room, with various monitors and other pieces of equipment visible to him just outside of his peripheral vision.

His vision gradually began to focus in, stirring him into a kind of wakefulness that he was unaccustomed to even when he was uninjured. As his faculties began to return to him, so did the memories of what had happened to him.

An attack on the USJ. Fighting against villains. The creature that had almost killed him. Shinso appearing and getting him out. All Might arriving and fighting the creature. Being treated by Yaoyorozu. Finally falling into unconsciousness in the back of an ambulance.

As the memories came rushing back, so did the worries. Though he hadn't gotten to know many of them yet, he already felt the obligation and responsibility towards his students in the same we he had with previous classes he had taught. He was already concerned for them when the villains had attacked initially, and this worry only got worse as his own situation worsened alongside it.

Now, waking up in a hospital, with no idea of how long he had been asleep or what had befallen everybody else in the USJ, he couldn't help but fear the worst. Injuries were to be expected, and it would hardly be the only time that his students would find themselves hurt in the line of duty. But if one of his students had suffered a serious injury or died under his watch, then he didn't know if he would ever me able to forgive himself for failing them.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of the door to his room opening, the squeak of the door hinges cutting through the comfortable silence that he was sitting in. Strangely, when he slowly turned his head to look who was disturbing him, he couldn't see anybody standing at the door. Aizawa watched with curiosity as the invisible force closed the door as well, and he wondered if he was being haunted, his exhausted mind not making the connection that he would have normally made in an instant.

He only realised what was happening once the diminutive form of Principal Nezu appeared at the foot of his bed, the Principal awkwardly climbed onto the bed that Aizawa lay on before looking towards the injured Pro, his beady eyes making reading his expression difficult even at the best of times.

Nezu was a figure that Aizawa had slowly grown accustomed to, but was never fully comfortable around, even after years of working for him. There was something about the Principal that unnerved Aizawa, something about his terrifying intellect and bizarre attitudes towards the training of the heroes of the future. Despite this, Aizawa knew that Nezu had his students best interests at heart, even if he had strange ways of showing it.

"Ah, Aizawa!" Nezu chirped, his voice sounding as chipper and upbeat as normal even given the circumstances of their meeting "I'm glad to see that you're awake, and you're looking much better too!"

Aizawa was too tired to make a sarcastic statement about his own health, so he settled for a low grunt instead, knowing that the Principal wouldn't care too much for formality in the current circumstances. Nezu must have read something in Aizawa's expression though, as a slight grin made it's way onto his face as he looked at Aizawa.

"I can see that you're thinking of your students, you act like you don't care, but I think we both know better than that." Nezu hummed in thought to himself for a moment before continuing "Don't worry, they're all safe, as well as Thirteen and All Might. There were a few injuries here and there, but nothing that Recovery Girl couldn't see too."

Aizawa sighed in relief, even in his state of pain and exhaustion he felt a large weight lift off of his mind, one less thing for him to be stressed about at least.

"In fact, I daresay you had it worst of anybody." Nezu continued, idly flicking through a small tablet he held in his paws as he sat on the foot of Aizawa's hospital bed "You're a credit to UA, you deserve to hear that, even though I know you don't care for that kind of praise."

Aizawa huffed and rolled his eyes, his tolerance for conversation was running thin. Now that he knew that his students and fellow heroes were safe, he saw little logic in continuing the conversation between himself and the Principal. Something seemed off, he knew Nezu well enough (or so he thought), that he knew that his boss wouldn't come in to simply give him an update and then make small talk. That was something that could be done far more logically by any of the UA staff that he would surely be seeing over the next few days, so why was Nezu really here?

"Perceptive as always Aizawa, I always said that that was your best quality when you were a student here." Nezu's eyed gleamed somewhat, and Aizawa agonised over how the head of UA was able to read his thoughts so easily "No, I'm not here just to update you on the welfare of your students. nor am I here to discuss how what happened at the USJ transpired, though I'm sure that we will have that little conversation at some point."

"Then what?" Aizawa groaned, finally mustering the strength to speak, instantly regretting the decision as his raw and dry throat protested with a shot of pain, reminding him of how he was grabbed by the creature that had attacked him.

"I'm here to talk to you about a particular student, one that caught my eye when I was reviewing the footage of the USJ attack." Nezu's gaze moved back to the tablet he held, flicking through an application of some kind "Make no mistake, the majority of your class acted in an incredibly heroic way during the attack, and several of them distinguished themselves by their actions during the day."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, wondering where Nezu was going with the speech he was currently giving. He was oblivious of the fact that the bandages on his face obscured the gesture, and if Nezu noticed his expression he didn't remark on it.

"And yet, I find myself most impressed by one student in particular, perhaps due to the circumstances of how he entered this school." Nezu's eyes glinted again, and he turned back to face Aizawa "Hitoshi Shinso performed admirably during the events of the attack, and I think I'm beginning to understand why you took the young man under your wing in the first place."

Aizawa's eyes widened again, and he propped himself upwards into a more upright position. Though the motion caused him a great deal of pain, it was ignored by Aizawa as he listened to what Nezu had to say, now knowing that it involved his young protégé.

"I admit I was sceptical when you approached me about adding a student into the Hero Course based on your own recommendation, even with UA's free-reign style of teaching, something like that is highly unusual, especially to come from you of all people." Nezu paused again as Aizawa waited impatiently, trying to make sense of what Nezu was saying "But my scepticism was overridden by my curiosity, the kind of which I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing in a while. I was interested to see what kind of student he was to earn a recommendation from you, and I enjoyed thinking of what new experiences such an inclusion might bring to the Hero Course."

"I suppose it's easier to show you why I'm so impressed." Nezu continued, holding out the tablet in a single paw "Have a look at some of the footage I've collated, I think you'll find it to be quite enlightening."

Aizawa grasped the tablet in a bandages hand, flinching slightly at the weight of the device on his still-healing bones. After a few seconds of fumbling, he managed to get the video to play, and he focused his blurry vision as well as he was able to so that he was able to see what Nezu had seen of Shinso.

The clip started by showing Shinso being dropped into the centre of the Collapse Zone, alone. The video was clearly taken from some kind of concealed security camera, which were hidden all throughout the USJ to monitor the progress of the students. The young hero was surrounded by around two-dozen villains, all of which were clearly spoiling for a fight. What worry that Aizawa felt at the sight of his protégé in such a perilous situation was quickly removed as he saw Shinso start his fight against the villains. He could see every technique that he had taught him on display, the young man putting his lessons on display as he battled his way through a crowd of villains that surely wanted him dead. He was impressed by Shinso's quick and creative usage of his capture weapons, as well as clever usage of his Quirk against foes that would have surely given him trouble if he were to fight them straight-on.

Aizawa continued to watch as Shinso made his way to the Ruin Zone, Brainwashed villains in tow as the young hero went to assist his classmates. He smiled under his bandages as he saw Shinso putting his lessons in psychological warfare to use, the devastating morale impact of the Brainwashed was plain to see, and it tipped the odds decisively in the young heroes' favour. Aizawa was also impressed with the fighting prowess of Iida, Jiro and Yaoyorozu, and he made a mental note to put Mineta in an extra class to deal with his nervousness.

Aizawa shifted slightly in discomfort, both physical and mental, as he watched Shinso send his classmates away as he went to rescue him, a decision that Aizawa was unsure whether to praise or criticise him for. Aizawa's breath caught in his throat as he saw Shinso's capture weapons be turned to dust by the villain's leader, and his protégé almost suffered the same fate at the villain's hands. He sighed in relief when he saw how narrowly Shinso had escaped a brush with the villain's Quirk, and watched with a strange mixture of emotions as Shinso carried his own prone form out of the USJ. On one hand he felt grateful, and he knew that he owed his student a great deal from rescuing him from a painful fate at the hands of that creature; On the other hand he felt a sense of obligation, it was his duty to protect his students, not the other way around, and he didn't want to put that burden on them until they were ready to bear it.

Just as Aizawa thought that Shinso might have finally escaped the fight, he watched as he and Shoji went back into the USJ, apparently intent on helping All Might with his fight against the large villain that Aizawa had fought. Aizawa had noticed the strong bond between the pair, as well as Tokoyami and Asui, the quartet apparently having become close friends during their short time at UA. Even as the video came to an end, Aizawa could see Shinso, Shoji and Tokoyami fighting side-by-side, pushing themselves to the limit to protect their classmates using their Quirks to assist All Might.

The video ended, and Aizawa handed the device back to Nezu, who had been silently watching Aizawa's reactions at various points of the video, paying close attention to how his employee reacted to the video of the student he had recommended fighting his way through the USJ.

"I can see that he's certainly taken your teachings to heart." Nezu said, his voice sounding more serious than normal as he placed the device he held to one side "He shows tremendous skill and awareness in combat, and this only becomes more impressive when you consider that he essentially fights Quirkless."

Aizawa doesn't say or even mutter anything, sensing that the Principal wants to continue speaking. Because of this he is surprised when he sees the Principal sigh and looking at the ground below him, apparently caught in a moment of contemplation. Nezu wore an expression that Aizawa had never seen before, a look of sober contemplation that contrasted with his usual upbeat wit and intelligent mannerism.

"You plan to make him into an Underground Hero." Nezu finally said, his eyes still not leaving the ground.

It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact on Nezu's part. It was something that both of them knew to be true, and yet it was still uncomfortable for either of them to talk about so openly. Aizawa's eyes flicked towards the door, making sure that there was nobody listening in on their conversation before he continued.

"He's got great potential for that line of work." Aizawa finally said, keep his voice low both to avoid agitating his throat as well as to keep his words unheard by anyone but the Principal "I've never seen somebody who would take to it as well as he would."

"I'm not questioning his physical capabilities." Nezu replied, looking back at Aizawa with a hard glare that almost shocked the injured Pro out of his bed with its raw intensity "I'm concerned as to whether or not he can handle what it is that Underground Heroes really do, whether or not he has the mental strength for the job."

"Of course he does." Aizawa shot back, feeling a compulsion to defend his student "He's beat every obstacle in front of him so far, I don't doubt his mental state in the slightest."

"And what about the way he was treated?" Nezu hissed, eyes flicking to the door as he leaned closer to Aizawa "I know you've read his file 'Social alienation from his peers' and 'Concerns over a dark future' were a few choice passages."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aizawa questioned, caution stopping him from raising his voice "Bullying is something I know he's endured, and it's terrible that he had to deal with that his whole life, but that doesn't mean he's unfit for that job."

"You know as well as I do that Underground Heroes walk a narrow path, one that brings them to the very edge of villainy, far closer than any hero should ever be." Nezu's voice was even lower now, and his face was only a few inches from Aizawa's "If he has any feelings of resentment of anger towards the people that shoved him aside, then he could fall into that darkness."

"I-" Aizawa was determined to speak, but Nezu's stern glare cut him short.

"If that happens, it would be nothing less than UA creating a villain, teaching a student everything we know before throwing him into a world that most heroes aren't even aware exists." Nezu's intensity continued to rise, his piercing glare boring right into Aizawa's soul "And with his Quirk and the knowledge that we've given him, he could be one of the most dangerous villains that the world has ever seen. He could kill All Might with a single word if he wished."

"He's not like that." Aizawa finally found his voice, determined to fight back even though everything that Nezu had said so far was undeniably true "He's idolised heroes his whole life, he would never turn his back on them."

"Really? And how do you think he would react if you tell him the great Lie of the Underground Heroes?" Nezu finally said, unleashing the verbal hammer blow that Aizawa knew was coming "How much will he idolise Heroes when he realises what this whole society is built upon?"

"You know that the Lie is necessary." Aizawa replied, his usual logical and dispassionate tone reasserting itself "You know that Underground Heroes are necessary, and you know the chaos that would erupt if we were gone, or if our secret was made public."

"I know." Nezu sighed, all of his fight and fiery passion suddenly gone, replaced in an instant with silent contemplation "But that doesn't mean that I like the idea of putting one of our own students into that world, especially after what Shinso went through before he came here. Do you really think that it's in his best interest?"

"I- I don't know." Aizawa admitted, his own passion deflating in a parallel of his boss "But I know that he has the strength to enter that world, and the strength to endure its secrets."

Nezu hummed in thought for several seconds before hopping off of the hospital bed, apparently considering the conversation to have ended. Aizawa was sitting upright now, apparently having moved into the position in the heat of the argument, only noticing now that he was calm again. Nezu paced slowly away, apparently still deep in his own thoughts. Only when he stretched to reach for the door handle did Nezu turn back to Aizawa, his grim expression at odds with his usual persona.

"I will trust your judgement in this matter Aizawa, if only because I trust you to make the most logical decision in this regard." Nezu's eyes still didn't quite meet Aizawa's, a fact that the Pro hero was grateful for "I need to know that you won't let emotions cloud your judgement, this matter is far too important to make a rash or hasty decision on."

Aizawa nodded, unable to find any words to articulate his true thoughts.

"Very well, but I want you to consider every aspect of this question before you make your choice." Nezu sighed again, his demeanour an expression of weakness that Aizawa hadn't seen in years "Shinso also deserves a choice in this matter, it's only fair that he chooses to be involved in this world, nobody should be forced into it."

"I know." Aizawa muttered, conflicting thoughts and ideas flying through his mind "We both want the best for all our students, no matter what."

"He deserves a choice in the matter, we owe him that much at least." Nezu turned to leave, though not before one more parting remark "You know what happens if this goes wrong, and neither of us want to see that happen."

"I know." Aizawa repeated, feeling more exhausted than he had in the past few days, even after everything that had happened to him.

"We never had this conversation." Nezu said, his voice chipper and his expression bright again as he stepped outside of Aizawa's hospital room, the door slowly swinging shut again.

Aizawa slid back into his bed, clasping his eyes shut in order to try and get some sleep, the darkness came quickly, and this time he welcomed it's warm embrace.

That night, Shota Aizawa slept fitfully, his mind clouded by the conversation he had had with Nezu. He dreamt of the dark world below the heroic society, one that most people were totally unaware of. He dreamt of the Underground Heroes, those few who walked a path apart from their peers, a path they walked out of necessity. He dreamt of the Lie, the one secret that he would take to his grave, for the alternative was too dire to contemplate. And at the centre of it all was Hitoshi Shinso, and the image of his future, balancing on a knifes edge.

Just one stumble, and his young protégé could fall into darkness forever.

Tomura Shigaraki fell to the ground of his hideout with a thud, and he couldn't help but groan in pain as the ethereal form of Kurogiri coalesced into a more humanoid shape beside him.

Blood steadily dripped onto the floor of the bar as Shigaraki shakily made his way onto his feet, using a nearby table for support for his injured legs. He growled in childish frustration, images of the day that he had endured flashed through his mind's eye as his thoughts screamed in his mind louder and louder until he could hardly hear himself think. The shouts in his mind only stopped when Shigaraki cried out in frustration and slammed his hand into a nearby table, the loud crash jolting him back into reality.

The noise had also apparently triggered a sensor in the screen that sat behind the bar, as the monitor flickered to life and bathed the darkened bar in eerie blue light. Shigaraki knew what this meant, and he limped his way over to the bar until his face was only a few inches from the screen.

The image on the screen flickered into one that Shigaraki knew well, one that showed the silhouette of a seated figure, the outline highlighted in green light from the various liquid-filled tubes that sat in the background.

"Tomura Shigaraki." The figure spoke, the static distorting the sound did nothing to hide the raw malice in the figure's voice "You have returned from your mission, how did you fare?"

"It all went wrong teacher!" Shigaraki growled, his high pitch making his voice sound hoarse and torn "Nomu wasn't enough, All Might beat him! He's still just as strong, and I wasn't strong enough to beat him! I'm too weak… too…"

Shigaraki's voice trailed off as his mood spiralled into despair and self-loathing, he fell to his knees in front of the monitor as he continued to mutter incoherently. His usual coping mechanism kicked in, and Shigaraki began to furiously scratch at the raw red flesh of his neck, nails scoring into his skin as he furiously turned his anger onto himself.

"Be calm Tomura Shigaraki." The voice said, it's voice an equal mixture of commanding authority and patient nurturing "Nomu may not have been enough, but All Might has certainly weakened, that much I am sure of."

"Of course teacher." Shigaraki growled, his arms shaking as he forced himself to stop scratching his neck "What's our next move?"

"For now, you shall wait. Gather your strength and recruit others to your cause." The voice was calm yet controlling, and it spoke in manner that suggested an almost fatherly affection "You are destined to be this world's symbol of fear, Tomura Shigaraki, one day you will show them what you are truly capable of."

"Yes teacher." Shigaraki bowed, the shaking in his limbs finally ceasing at the assurances of his teacher "I'll do my best to fulfil your vision, and tear this rotten society down."

"Our vision." The voice corrected, leaning backwards from the screen once it was satisfied at Shigaraki's mood "Are there any other heroes or students at UA that I should know about?"

"Those bastards." Shigaraki spat, the neurotic villain having to remind himself to keep calm "Endeavour's son was there, and he's just as powerful as you said. There was this other worm with some kind of explosive power, he might be even stronger. Then there was that rat with the mind control, and-"

"Mind Control?" The figure asked, cutting off Shigaraki's spiel with a few calm words "I hadn't heard of such a Quirk, tell me about it."

"I can't explain it." Shigaraki grimaced behind his mask, the memory of what happened to him filling him with confusion "It was this purple-haired student that showed up to rescue Eraserhead from Nomu, the moron. I was about to turn the rat to dust, then the next thing I know Kurogiri is beside me and telling me that I had been standing still for minutes. The bastard had got away with Eraserhead, and he even stopped Nomu from chasing after him."

"Intriguing…" The figure muttered, it's voice distorting as the screen flickered before turning back to normal "I will look further into this power, farewell for now, Tomura Shigaraki."

The figure leant back in it's chair as the screen went dark again, severing its connection with the future symbol of fear for now.

"Have our contact at UA pull up the files of students in Class 1A." The figure groaned, it's voice distorted by the oxygen mask fixed around it's face "I find myself intrigued by this Mind Control power, and I desire it for myself."

The being that it spoke to bowed silently before shuffling away, leaving it's master alone in total darkness.

All For One smiled, knowing that his plans were coming closer to completion every single day.

"Your era is coming to an end, symbol of peace."

Author's Note

And we finally finish the USJ Arc for real, with an epilogue showing several scenes of consequences for those involved.

The Shinso section at the beginning was mainly there to show a bit of our lead's emotions at the conclusion of the attack, as well as showing the wider picture of what the attack on the USJ means for heroic society. Though I don't have any real issues with this section, I think it is a bit weaker than the others, though it's inclusion was certainly necessary.

The Aizawa section was probably my favourite part of the story to write, as well as being the 'meat' of this Chapter. It gets into the mind of Shinso's mentor and shows how he reacts to his student in action, something I enjoyed finally having the opportunity to explore. Also, Nezu is incredibly fun to write, and he'll certainly be showing up more in the future. This section also brings to light the Underground Hero aspect of this story that I've been hinting at for a while, and which will properly come to fruition in the Internship Arc. It's going to be a while yet, but one day the great lie of the Underground Heroes will be revealed.

The Shigaraki section was also important for reasons of setting up future plot threads, and though it may not be apparent right now, the affects of this section will be large and far-reaching indeed.

The first OVA starts tomorrow, and while it of course needs a little timeline adjustment in order to fit in, I'll do my best to insert it into the story in a natural way.

And to answer some reviews:

OnlineOverlord15: Thanks as always for the support, I hope you're still enjoying the story. I'll have to rewatch the Sport's Festival Arc to double-check, but I'm fairly sure that Shinso needs a verbal response to get his Quirk to work, but I'll have to look into it further.

StandupSitdown: Thank you for the review, and don't worry about not being able to write more, I appreciate that you took the time to write a review regardless. Aizawa's reaction was shown here, and I hope it came across nicely in this Chapter. As for his classmate's reactions, well we'll have to see about that later on…

Evergone the Great: Thanks for the review. I did try to keep this in mind, and tried to convey that fact by having an extended scene with Shinso and Nomu as well as Shinso escaping in order to convey the passage of time, but that might have not come across strongly enough.

Donovan2771: Thank you for the support, I'm glad that you enjoy this story. Funnily enough this story also reached 10,000 views today as well, so we've hit quite a few milestones today, here's to many more.

Raven Mordrake: In all honesty it will probably be Aizawa. I won't give anything away, but I plan to dive deep into the world of Underground Heroes, and Aizawa is the door into that world.

Alexanderjuarez499: I'm not super familiar with the mechanics of Kirishima's Quirk to be honest. The counters you've proposed all make sense, but I imagine it will still be a difficult encounter for Shinso, especially given how he focuses on close combat.

Thank you all for reading this story, and I'll see you tomorrow!